Artie's South Shore Fish Market and Grill closes in Island Park

A year and a half after its founder died, Artie’s South Shore Fish Market & Grill has closed — at least for the time being — as his daughters contemplate the future of the business. The Island Park landmark was both a seafood restaurant (2018 was the fourth year it was named one of Newsday’s Top 10) and one of Long Island’s best fish markets.

Artie Hoerning opened the market in 1974 and, in 1999, added an adjoining restaurant whose extreme modesty (Styrofoam plates, plastic cups) belied the quality of fish and expertise of the kitchen. Lobster rolls, fried whole fluke, grilled swordfish were among the greatest hits.

When Hoerning died in February 2017, it was up to his two daughters, Cara Lee Hoerning Filomio and Christina Hoerning, to carry on without the man who was a tireless combination of fishmonger, fisherman and restaurateur. But both women are special education teachers, and Filomio has young children.

Artie’s closed only briefly when Hoerning died, and Filomio said that since then, “we have not allowed ourselves a chance to sit down as sisters, to take a step back from the business to focus on being a family.” Now is the time, she said, "to take some private time to re-evaluate our father’s business model.”